Lucky

How can we become disheartened when we see young gays like that as the future?

You are obviously not a coffee drinker!

The proposals don't stand a chance in hell, so your hair is safe. Dropping the mortgage exemption now would devastate what is left of the housing market as hundreds of thousands of homeowners who are underwater or near there would finally give up and walk away. Medicare now is not cheap. Wipe out some of the bureaucrats and the fraud might help though. I favor raising the age for Social Security, but not for anyone close to retirement now. And the tax increases? Good luck with that when we are already fighting over extending tax CUTS.

Being honest about living in New York sure was a mistake for me. If they didn't know I had moved there I wouldn't have had to pay $300 a month in New York CITY taxes. I never earned a dime there, but paid them far more than I pay in California.

Feel free to read "Out at Home: The Glenn Burke Story," written by Eric Sherman. It's a paperback original, priced at $14.95, but now only available used at $25.00 through bn.com. Amazon didn't list it as far as I could tell.

Lookin, I appreciated your work on the envelope. When I listen to Conway speak of business, it makes sense when I think of the small businessman struggling to turn a profit and meet his payroll. But big business seems to be awash in profits,with CEOS making record salaries. These companies know how to lobby Congress, hide their profits, and generate money beyond their needs. Taxing them only makes sense to me. Your point about the guarantee of using $70 billion a year for new jobs versus a possible trickle down from the Bush tax cuts is unassailable. IMHO.

Are you afraid of spiders? They seem harmless to me, although there is the Black Widow to fear. National Geographic says: This spider's bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's. In humans, bites produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can make breathing difficult; however, contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage—let alone death. But bites can be fatal—usually to small children, the elderly, or the infirm. Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when someone accidentally sits on them or when an internet poster makes fun of them.

The LA Times tells us today about the rising prices of commodities, coffee, cotton, and other items, that will be pinching our pocketbooks even more as the dollar weakens: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-commodity-prices-20101110,0,6641189,full.story

A movie will be shown at the Castro theater in San Francisco about the life of Glenn Burke, the Oakland A's player who was introduced to his new teammates by the manager as a "faggot." Burke only officially came out after he quit baseball, but his status was quite well known to other players, who did not exactly react with warmth. He later died of AIDS. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/09/DD5K1G7C3A.DTL&type=books

From the NY Post, this article might make you realize what a peaceful place we have: A Japanese man committed suicide live on the internet after heated exchanges with online users who dared him to kill himself, local reports said Wednesday. The 24-year-old man in the northern city of Sendai was found dead Tuesday morning in his apartment by local police, who received reports from web users, newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported. The man, who lived alone, had been on extended sick leave from his job since August and had posted complaints about his work, local newspaper Sankei Shimbun said. The man began to broadcast images of himself on live streaming service Ustream on Sunday night, announcing his plan to kill himself and discussing his views about life. After a break, his broadcast resumed early Tuesday and he hanged himself in his apartment at around 5:30am local time, Sankei said. His broadcast received many messages, with some web users encouraging him to kill himself quickly, while others urged him to desist. Ustream stopped the broadcast after 6:00am Tuesday, following reports from an increasing number of viewers, Yomiuri said. Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates, accounting for more than 32,000 deaths last year, the 12th consecutive year to exceed 30,000 deaths. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/japanese_man_commits_suicide_live_AhKeLXIRET51fC15htRbhI#ixzz14tJWSy3g

Who, TY? Kennedy? LBJ? Since I doubt you wouldn't speak ill of the dead, it must be TY!

KY, thanks for the info on the health care bill. I agree that it has problems. But I do think they got the best bill they could get at the time, with the hope of fixing things later. Not the best approach, no doubt. Conway, hard to argue with your last sentence. The Dems buttfucked gays when we only needed a blowjob. Thanks for participating as it has made for some good conversation...I am listening to what you say. Where else could I talk with a Tea Party supporter?

Yes, thank you.

Conway, I don't accuse you of any racism or anti-this or that. I just don't think you have all of the facts. The Health Care bill was not perfect, but health care reform was desperately needed. To say that there was no debate on it, well, where were you? It was being debated all over the place. The Democrat bill won. The Republicans are now playing sore loser, but history tells us that at every turn they will favor the health care INDUSTRY over the consumer. Those fat cat lobbyists are paid by the drug companies, the insurance companies, and the medical associations. With the Republicans, the average Joe has no chance on getting a better health care system. As for the gays voting Republican, well, I understand voting your pocket book. I understand the frustration with weak Democrat support in some corners. But remember Reagan and AIDS. When we needed the Republicans the most, they weren't there for us. They won't be there next month when DADT is voted on, and they won't be there to support gay marriage. You can take that to the bank.

And now Obama is talking about how he didn't try hard enough to "reach across the aisle." That's not how I remember it. He reached, they smacked his hand.

DreadedNed.com has all the maps one could want for Thailand.

Thanks for the info, although most of it is over my head. My AT&T contract is up right before my trip to Asia. So that would be a good time to switch, but I don't understand the SIM card stuff. Would I just sign up for Verizon World plan, or do I need to get a SIM card that's sold in Asia? See, I told you I didn't know!

Wasn't it the responsibility of the loan officer to deny those applications? Was it fair to the people following the rules to allow those who did not qualify to receive a loan? The value of everyone's home collapsed, not just those that didn't deserve the loans. Granted, the loan officer may have just been following the policies in place, but the buck starts with him. The desire for profit, the greed of Wall Street, ruined this economy, and it wasn't the average home buyer's fault. I commend you for meeting your obligations. It's the way I was brought up too. But recently the president of the National Mortgage Association lectured people who were thinking of walking away from their mortgages that it was their moral obligation to pay those mortgages. Then, that very association walked away from its $79 million dollar obligation. Just walked away. So let's lecture them first.

Good post, TY. Sad, but true. I long for the days of Lyndon Baines Johnson, and no, I never, ever, expected to say that. Johnson was elected vice-president exactly 50 years ago today.

So many loan officers have gone down in history for the contributions they made to this country- virtually every small town has a monument to their local favorite, you know, the guy that really helped the town. We'd no doubt have one in Palm Springs if they'd move that Sonny Bono statue. There are so many people who fell for the hype being promoted by both banks, loan officers, real estate agents, and their ilk, that no doubt more statues are about to be erected. Can you imagine believing that the market was really going up, when the characters I just mentioned all knew the real deal- that this money was being given to people who didn't qualify, that loans were no longer something earned, but given away to hype the profits? It was all a house of cards, and the only schmucks who didn't get it were the ones who were following the rules. So much money was made off of these people, with no consequences from the law, and now, guess what, these schmucks think the government should do something about it. Don't they know about the bailouts? The money they didn't lose in real estate was given to the banks and the insurance companies. They can't fail, you know. Just Joe Shcmuck and his family. Can you imagine how smug the loan officer will be the next time they seek a loan?

One would have thought, reading the media here, that Thai hotels were hurting for business. But the rates are slightly higher than 3 years ago, that likely just being the difference in the dollar. So, would you stay at cheap(er) hotel that allowed guys, or at a comfy place that didn't? That's my dilemma at the moment, at least in Bangkok. It's a shock to arrive in Bangkok, for one, and then there is the humidity and the jet lag to contend with...and I rarely have overnights anyway...

God forbid we should tax those who have money!

People go to Brazil to enjoy themselves,and, for some, that means a lot of sex. That sex can be with many guys or just a few guys. I found myself unwilling to keep experimenting, so when I found a guy I liked, I stuck with him. Can't say that that gave me a better experience than others, but it was what I was comfortable with. Still had a lot of sex. Anyone else like it that way?

Thanks. I will keep looking for the Mr. Right (thumbprint version!)

I'd get in on it, but I really pay no attention to the details, I just use the site as is and make the most of it. Technical stuff I leave to those who like it. Function over form, maybe?